Chippewa Falls Dawsons
by Listentoyourheart37
Summary: We all know who Jack Dawson is. His life was changed on Titanic, but Titanic was always the final chapter for him. What happened before Titanic? What events toke place before the final chapter? Read to find out!
1. Up she Goes

**Hola! Welcome to my first fanfic ever, and the beginning is pretty short...Oh well. But anyhow, this first scene is Jack's POV when he dies next to Rose when the Titanic sinks and he lets her surivie instead of him. (I cried buckets at the end of this scene!) The Titanic Movie and characters do not belong to me, I'm just using them in my fanfic. Enjoy! **

**_R.M.S Titanic, Atlantic Ocean, 2:37 A.M._**

_**April 15, 1912**_

"Jack? Jack, there's a boat." I heard Rose's weak voice, but it sounded far away like I was lost in some distant place. Her words echoed around in my head, and then became blurred and muffled. I had become so numb from the cold that my brain seemed to be muddled and my mind hazy with pain. I fought to get back to Rose, to open my eyes and see her again, to break free of this trance, but it was too strong. Not even my fiery love for Rose could bring me back. This was it.

"_Water that cold…Like right down there…It hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can't breathe…You can't think…At least it isn't about anything but the pain."_

"Jack! Jack, please…There's a boat, Jack…" Rose's voice broke, and she started to sob uncontrollably. I tried to respond, but everything was fading away. The edges of my vision under my closed eyes started to darken. The ice was freezing up my lungs, making me fight for each breath.

_I love you, Rose…_I silently thought. _At least I know you'll be safe. You'll survive. You were not meant to die on this night. I was. Time for me to go home. _

I could see Rose's whole life ahead of her. She would turn into an amazing young woman, full of hope and that fire I loved about her. She would move on from me, but she would never let go. She would live the life that she had always dreamed of, and she would make lots of babies that would grow into fine people. She would die an old lady, warm in her bed, her life complete. And I would be waiting for her, no matter how long it took.

"_You jump, I jump, remember?" _

I smiled inwardly. Titanic would always be the final chapter for me, but this would be just a whole new beginning for Rose.

_Goodbye Rose, Don't ever let go…Don't ever let go._

When my heartbeat slowed almost to nothing, I knew my time was up. Sighing, I finally let go of the fight to stay alive. The ice immediately turned my blood ice, and froze my lungs. My brain stopped functioning, and my whole body went still.

"I'll never let go. I promise." Rose kissed my hand, and then she let go of me.

As darkness overcame my closed eyes, and death dragged me down below the surface, a final melody drifted through my still mind, a tear filled tune that sounded like Rose was singing it, but her hand was no longer in mine. I was sinking instead, farther and farther away from everything I knew and into the unforgiving cold depths of the Atlantic. A dark and sad piano tune echoed the song, blending together and making it the last thing that ran through my fading being before everything went dark and dissolved into nothing.

"_Come Josephine in my flying machine, going up she goes, up she goes…"_

"…_Up she goes…"_


	2. Hashbrowns and Cream Mash

**Yay new chapter! So for this chapter, we have gone back in time, and Jack is now a innocent 8 year old. (I got goosebumps just thinking about what he would look like as a kid!) I had plently of fun trying to describe my story, knowing that the setting is in 1900 and they have a completely different lifestyle than now...Enjoy! **

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, 7:24 A.M.<strong>_

_**February 3, 1900**_

"Jack…Jack…Jack, sweetheart, time to wake up." A voice called faintly in the distance. I groaned and turned on my side, trying to catch a few more minutes of precious sleep before I had to emerge out of sub consciousness. Drifting back off, I smiled contently.

A gentle hand prodded me, and then shook me lightly. "Jack, darling, you have school today. I have breakfast ready downstairs, so get yourself up and get dressed quickly." The sound of a dress whisking away on the floor and of the door to my room shutting rang in my ears. Moaning, I blinked my eyes open.

White rays of bright morning sunlight shined through the small window on my wall and pooled onto the dusty wooden floor of my room. The wall paint was a muddy tan, and my bed creaked as I pulled myself up into a sitting position on it with tired effort. My temples throbbed, and I hastily tried to clear the lingering fog of sleep away from my mind.

Rubbing my eyes, I yawned and got out of bed.

"Jack, darling, you have school today." I mimicked in my Mom's high pitched voice as I made my way over to my closet. Sighing angrily, I slide open the dusty door. "That's what every kid wants to hear when they wake up. _You have school today._ Why don't you just punch me in the gut and leave me to die, right then and there?"

I completely forgot about my school problems when the sweet and tasty aroma of hash browns and creamed mash potato's wafted their up to my sensitive nose. Licking my lips in anticipation, I picked out a pair of Knickerbockers with a wool shirt, and a black jacket with a pair of worn brown shoes. Glancing at myself in the mirror while slicking my light brown dirty blonde hair back, I raced out the door and pounded down the stairs for breakfast.

My mother turned as I scrambled down the stairs. "There you are, sweetie." She said with a smile while frying scrambled eggs on the stove. Her dress was dirty and grease stained, and even though it was only 7:30 in the morning, her blue eyes had a tired twinkle to them.

My father was sitting with one leg crossed on a wooden kitchen chair, the large gray sheets of the daily newspaper covering his face. Even though I couldn't see him, I could tell he was twirling his curled mustache as he read about the different disasters and scandals in the world today, like he always does. Bad habits die hard, I guess.

I walked over to a large stool and sat down on it, waiting hungrily for Mom to deliver today's meal. I could smell the familiar smell of my Dad from all the way at the other end of the kitchen, or maybe it was because he always had a strong odor. He smelled like fresh coffee and cigarettes. So naturally whenever I saw someone drinking coffee or taking a smoke, it reminded me of my Dad.

"Here you are, Jack, I cooked your favorite today. Hash browns with seared butter cream toast and cream mash potatoes." My mom placed the hot plate down in front of me. I grinned ear to ear at the delicious food, my stomach rumbling. Digging in with my fork, I inhaled breakfast.

"Thanks, Mom." I mumbled with my mouth full.

My Mom didn't reply, she only gave a slight nod of her head before turning back to the stove to cook more food.

As I continued to chow down, I watched from the corner of my eye Dad flipped a page in the newspaper, and then dropping the paper down on the table in front of him, a troubled look on his now seeable face.

"What is it, John?" My Mom asked, obviously concerned with her husband's abruptness.

My Dad stared at my Mom for a moment, and then at me. The look he gave me almost made me shrink in my skin. It was one of confusion, fear, and a little bit of…contempt?

Looking back at Mom again, he replied in his deep voice, "The government has unanimously decided to cut and lay off a growing rate of people from all different companies over the Midwest, due to budget cuts. Including the bank, because I saw people get the papers their too. With me two own eyes."

My Mom's mouth dropped and I stopped chewing, my sea blue eyes flashing with shock.

"What? John, why didn't you tell me before?" Mom exclaimed, clearly enraged.

My Dad squirmed uncomfortably in his small chair. "I didn't want you to worry about it. We already have enough to worry about."

"No, John! They can't do that! Prices in the stock market are going abnormally high, and things that were normally cheap are rising in money. Some family's barley have enough money to get buy, and the first class can have anything they want. They have all the money in the world, so why are _we_ the ones being cut from jobs? How could they do that to us?"

I winced, my fork dropping to the table. We were a poor family. My Dad worked in the local bank, and my Mom did several odd jobs throughout the day like cleaning and cooking for other families. I know my Mom and Dad tried their hardest to get enough money to save up, but it was hard. _We _were the ones who just barley had enough to get by. _We _were the third class, when it came down to the truth.

I glanced nervously between my mother and father, breakfast forgotten.

"John, do you know what this means? Do you know how hard I try, how the days keep getting longer, how we both gave so much up for this? And it didn't even turn out right? Do you know what this will do to our—"My Mom caught finally caught herself, tears glistening wetly in her eyes. She glanced my way regretfully as my Dad shot her the deadliest warning glare I had ever seen.

I swallowed, a lump in a throat and my stomach jolting. _Is that how they really feel?_

I stared at them, my heart pounding inside my chest and feeling frightened at what had just happened.

_My parents are keeping secrets from me. Why would they keep secrets from me? I'm their child!_

Exhaling, my mother turned back towards the stove and closed her eyes, wiping tears away with the back of her hand. It was deathly silent in the whole room. As if seeing for my mother for the first time, I realized how overworked she was. Her brown hair was always pulled back into a tight bun, the marks under eyes gave away that she wasn't getting enough sleep, and her hand trembled whenever she worked.

My Mom had great talent and fiery passion for art. Whenever she picked up a pencil or charcoal pastel, her hands carved masterpieces that were simply breathtaking. But I had wasted that gift on my Mom, I had been selfish enough to ignore that she was giving away her whole dream of becoming an artist for me. Everything for me. My stomach churned with guilt, and I could feel my appetite go sour.

"Sweetie, it's time to go to school." My Mom murmured, her hand rubbing her forehead as if she was in pain. Her back was turned to me as she walked over and grabbed my leather small backpack. Pursing my lips together until they almost turned white, I climbed down from the stool and trudged over to her, pretending to be very interested in studying floor.

She smiled her sweet smile and draped the straps of my small sack over my shoulders. Somehow to me though, the smile seemed forced and fake.

Placing her hand under my chin, she lifted my face up with a finger, forcing me to look at her. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, but I turned my face the other way, refusing to respond back.

When she let go of me I walked towards the door to our house, walking right past my Dad.

"Have a good day at school, son." He said, carefully avoiding my eyes and not even looking up to say goodbye. I just stared at him sadly before I opened the door and walked outside, leaving my quarrelling parents behind.

I know that my parents have given up everything for me, but why do I feel like I'm bitterly betrayed by them just as much?


End file.
